bins dropped, double vision :(

[Miranda]

Firstly, I feel like an utter pleb. I remember last night that my bin got knocked off the side and hit the floor - and at the time thought nothing of it.

This morning, picked up bins to be nosey at a bird and getting double vision craziness. Tried re-focusing it etc and still the double vision... and now Im thinking Ive knocked something inside out of alignment.

So, they are meade 10x50s so nothing super expensive, but its really annoying! I have no idea how to take it apart and how they look inside... and then putting it all back together again.

Have I killed them? Should I put a Do Not Resuscitate order on them?

So sad My poor bins.

[Mark at Beaufort]

I can understand your frustration Miranda because I did the same with my binoviewers. In the end, because all I got was double vision, I took them apart and I am glad to say solved the problem.

So if you cannot use the binos because of the double vision you have nothing to lose by taking them apart. Because you live in Hereford you could always venture down to Lucksall to see if someone can help you - if you are not sure how to proceed.

Mark

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

This happened to me too, and I sorted it by collimating the bins (at least, so they are suitable for me to look through). Not very difficult, but a bit fiddly. My problem was finding the prism-tilt adjustment screws, as noted here, but after that it was plain sailing. Once you have found the screws, it is a matter of adjusting them until the images overlap. There is a useful guide here:

http://www.cloudynights.com/item.php?item_id=416

and another one here

http://falakbeen.blogspot.nl/2012/05/collimating-orion-worldview-10x50-wa.html

[Psychobilly]

If they are the cheap meade ones then the first thing check if one or both of the objective tubes have cross threaded when they fell...

Peter...

[Steep]

Check each eyepiece singly, your problem might be down to one side only? and at least then you'll have narrowed down the problem.

[Miranda]

Not very technically minded (I help fix people for a living, not so great at DIY) but I will see what u can do. As said, the are already broken so I'm not going to do any more damage.

Hmmmmph

[ollypenrice]

Not very technically minded (I help fix people for a living, not so great at DIY) but I will see what u can do. As said, the are already broken so I'm not going to do any more damage.

Hmmmmph

Fixing people is a darned sight harder than fixing binoculars...

Olly

[Miranda]

Hmmm first inspection shows I lack the right tools for the job.

Drat.

[JamesF]

Fixing people is a darned sight harder than fixing binoculars...

And there's far less paperwork when it goes wrong.

I suspect a set (or even two sets -- one cross-head and the other for normal slotted screws) of jeweller's screwdrivers may be a requirement. But every household needs a set of those

James

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

In my case I needed some precision Allen (hexagonal) wrenches. I needed a 1.2mm one (or so), which set me back EUR 1.25. A standard screwdriver and some double-sided tape were the other two tools.

[ollypenrice]

You can buy drop-proof binoculars. They come in at around £500 and upwards. You won't drop them. You just won't...

Olly

[BinocularSky]

Collimation screws:

The image moves in the same direction as you move the screw; no more than 1/8 turn at a time. However, it is best to ascertain which side is "out" beforehand; this may require you to do some dismantling, especially if the image is very obviously out if alignment,when it is possible that you have slightly dislodged a prism. If you unscrew the objective tubes (mark which is which beforehand, or do them one at a time), you can remove the bottom cover plates from the prism housings and do a visual inspection of the front prisms, and just check that they haven't shifted (use cotton-gloved hands if you are going to touch them). The prisms are held in by clips.

To access the back prisms is a tad more complicated. First you have to remove the tripod-mounting bush (may be secured with a tiny set-screw, aka grub-screw), then, inside the hinge, there is another slotted screw. undo that and you can "focus" the eyepieces and bridge right off. Then unscrew the eyepiece tubes from the prism housing, then remove the cover-plate screws and remove the cover plate.

[Psychobilly]

If you cant fix them .. and I can see from your other post that you were thinking of popping along to SGL8 to see if they could be fixed...

I have a pair that used to live in the obs and I was going to give away at SGL8 so you can have them if they are any good to you...

Peter...

[ollypenrice]

If you cant fix them .. and I can see from your other post that you were thinking of popping along to SGL8 to see if they could be fixed...

I have a pair that used to live in the obs and I was going to give away at SGL8 so you can have them if they are any good to you...

Peter...

:icon_salut:

Olly

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

If they cannot be fixed, and you get a replacement, they can easily be converted into two 10x50 finder scopes.

[Miranda]

wow - just kindness thank you! Hopefully I wont have to take Psychobilly up on your offer.

Will investigate things more properly tomorrow when I'm less sleep deprived, and got the right tools for the job. Would really like to get them fixed, first bins are precious things.

[Psychobilly]

Well they are there if you want/need them....